Hello, guys. Thanks for checking in with me. Sorry to have been so long without an update, but you know how my life goes when it comes to journaling. Anyway, here's the news on our chiropractor visits:
The three of us went back to review our x-rays and talk about the nutritional part of things. He showed each of us where our spine is out of whack, and used a diagram on his wall that lights up showing which organ systems are affected by whatever nerve is compromised to show us each what was going on with us. It was amazing how accurate the results were. He gave me a laundry list of my complaints based on what nerves were being pinched in my spine, and he was practically 100% accurate! The same was true for Larry and Tara, so we are going in several times a week (which will taper down as we go along) for adjustments to correct those problems. He is also adjusting the stomach and other parts of the digestive system for Tara and I, since he said all celiac patients he has ever seen have digestive organs that have moved out of place and are not where they are supposed to be, and she and I were no exception. It feels weird, but is not painful.
As for the nutrition, he had us keep a food diary for one week to see what we were eating. He reviewed those and told us to cut out the following seven things from our diets: alcohol, coffee, soda (even diet soda), sugar, artificial sweeteners, dairy and meat. My first reaction was - what's left!!! But truthfully, he has had such good responses from so many other people that we decided to give it a shot. So as we left his office, he gave us two CD's to listen to. They are lectures he has given concerning why he recommends cutting out those seven things and what the good foods are that he wants us to eat. After listening to his reasoning on why the above-listed foods need to be eliminated (he calls them the seven deadly sins of nutrition), we were all convinced that he knew what he was talking about. So we went home and cleaned out the refrigerator in preparation for going to the Farmer's Market to load up on the fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds and the few grains that we are now choosing to make the staples of our diet. I had some leftover meat dishes that I had thought we could finish up before we changed our dietary habits, but I honestly could not eat them after listening to his lectures. I TRIED to finish up the leftover meat because I don't like to throw food away (especially now when it costs so much), but I just couldn't do it. The very thought of it turned my stomach, and Larry and Tara felt the same way. Since Larry has always been very much a meat and potatoes kind of guy, this should tell you how much of an impact Dr. Joe has made on us. So this has been our first week on the new way of eating and it's going okay. The first couple of days were hard for me, because I'm adjusting to something I've never done before. I had problems with getting really hungry soon after eating, and Dr. Joe said to eat more! He told us that right now he is not so much concerned with portion sizes (that will come later) - he just wants us to get used to doing without meat, sugar, etc. first. He did say that when we eat nuts as a snack to only get a couple of small handfuls because they have lots of fat. He also recommended that we eat brown rice instead of white rice because white rice converts straight to sugar in the body and it's not very good for you. Other than that, he said we just eat as much as we want of all the food groups that he recommends.
Cooking has been an adventure for me, but I think I'm doing okay with it. Tara was pretty close to going meat-free anyway. She hasn't eaten beef in several years, and her tastes had changed to the point that she wasn't thrilled with pork or chicken. Turkey was about the only meat she really enjoyed, and she has had no problem giving that up. She seems really happy with the changes we're making and said that she is glad all three of us are doing it together. I so love that kid (sorry, young adult) - she's the greatest!
Anyway, so far this week we've had black-eyed peas with onions and hot sauce, quinoa pasta with homemade marinara sauce, and roasted potatoes with baby bok choy and grilled asparagus. Tonight we are having stir-fried Chinese vegetables over brown rice and tomorrow will probably be navy beans with cornbread. Doesn't sound too bad, does it? I am going to a free cooking demonstration that Dr. Joe is having on Saturday afternoon, and I'm hoping to pick up some pointers then. Interestingly enough, the sweeteners we are using (stevia and agave nectar) are working out well for me. Stevia is an herb that I buy in packets (like Splenda comes in) to use at work with my herbal tea. Agave nectar is a substitute for honey. It is made from cactus and tastes sweet, but doesn't raise the blood sugar like honey does. The transition has not been effortless, but I think it's going to work out okay. I'm going to give this six months and see how I feel and if I've lost any weight (and how much) by then. If I don't feel any better or haven't lost much weight, I will go back to how I was eating before. But somehow I don't think that's going to be the case!
On the home front, our little Pontiac is dying. It has 192,000 miles on it, so we weren't terribly surprised. The mechanic said he could make it so we could limp along with it for a few weeks, but it is definitely going to that big car lot in the sky soon. So we had to buy a new car. I was so upset - as you know, we are trying to get OUT of debt, not take on more - but in the end, it had to be done. So we bought a 2008 Nissan Sentra and we hope it lasts 100 years. I have never owned a brand-new car before, but they made us such a good deal on it that we went ahead and got this one. I do like the car - it handles like a small car when I'm driving in Atlanta traffic, but has lots of interior and trunk room which is important for our NC and Florida road trips!
Since we had to take on debt for the car, we decided to try to rent out the WDW trip we were planning to take over the Christmas holiday and use that money towards the debt. So far we haven't had any takers, so if you know anyone who would like to take a WDW trip over Christmas but hasn't booked it yet, pass on my name! We have also decided to rent out most of our DVC points for next year so that we can use the proceeds for debt reduction. We will keep enough to go once or twice, but we've decided we need to look at the big picture and where we're trying to go with our future rather than spending all our points (and a significant amount of bucks) on multiple WDW trips now. So again, if you know anyone who wants to do a WDW trip in a DVC villa next year, send them my way!
We have also decided to scale back our plans for celebrating our 25th anniversary next year. I still want to do a cruise, but we decided the money and the points this would take would be better spent on reducing our debt load. So we will do the cruise another time (maybe for our 30th???). We will still celebrate - we are talking about just doing a couple of days in the mountains as a quick getaway, which will be lovely but lots less expensive. Having said that, we are still going to exchange gifts for this milestone event.
Some years we don't, but this one we definitely will because I personally think 25 years together needs to be recognized (plus I have wanted a past, present and future ring in the worst way for about three or four years now and I think a 25th anniversary is the perfect time to get one). Since Larry knew that was what I wanted, he has been looking around at them and found one that was on sale for half price. He just couldn't resist the bargain, so he bought it and then couldn't wait to give it to me! It is BEAUTIFUL!!! It is absolutely the most gorgeous ring I have ever seen - just the right size and matches my engagement ring. I am SO HAPPY with it! So now we are working on what his present will be. He can't make up his mind what he wants, so I guess I'll have to wait and see what I should be shopping for!
We are going back to NC next week over the Thanksgiving holiday to see the folks. Larry hasn't seen his dad since July, so he is looking forward to visiting with him. We will miss Stacie and Matt, since they will be in Florida (I am SO jealous!!!), but hope to have lots of time with our other family members before we have to head home.
That's about it from me for now. I will try to get to everybody's journals later today if I can. Thanks so much for checking in with me - have a good weekend!
Susan
